Spring Affair
by Sixty Five Roses
Summary: Rusty reflects on some strange new behaviors and habits Sharon has recently developed and reaches one important conclusion.


_"Ooh, something's coming over me_

_Ooh, I think it's got a hold on me_

_It's got me_

_Ooh, just the man I hoped you'd be_

_Ooh, just the man to set me free_

_You got me, you got all of me_

_Spring affair, spring affair, spring affair_

_And I'm hung on you, oh yeah_

_Spring affair, spring affair, spring affair_

_And we've got something new…"_

**_Donna Summer_**

She was singing in the shower again, Rusty noticed. It has become a new habit of hers lately. He didn't realize until now what a great singing voice she had, although her song choices were a little lacking – silly 70's and 80's love songs. He should have introduced her to some newer music, if he ever expected to hear anything else from her. The shower was not the only place where she sang. He noticed that she sang while she cooked and as soon as she got out of bed in the morning, she even sang when she drove.

Singing was not the only new behavior Sharon started exhibiting in the recent weeks. There were many things she's never done around him before that she did now. Like the way she seemed to be floating when she walked. Her entire stature was completely different now, her back was straighter, her movements were more graceful – she looked like Emily when she danced – slender and delicate like a rose.

But that entire stature changed completely whenever she watched a game. That was a new thing too. He didn't know Sharon liked sports. In fact, he didn't think even Sharon knew she enjoyed watching baseball, especially Dodgers games. About a month ago, Rusty noticed her sitting on the couch, wearing a Dodgers T-shirt, eating popcorn and cheering loudly and passionately for the Dodgers. He noticed her hair was different that evening too. It was straighter than usual and gathered in a sloppy ponytail. From behind, she looked just like a teenager, which he found adorable and funny at the same time.

And as the days passed, he noticed that she tended to gather her hair like that more often, and he even saw her leaving for work with this uncharacteristic hairdo, which was quite unexpected. Another thing he noticed about her appearance was that she started wearing tighter shirts and shorter skirts. Of course, Sharon was too classy to leave the house with a dress that was not work-appropriate, but whereas before her dresses and skirts were at least knee length, most of her new dresses reached about an inch above the knee. The tighter new clothes accentuated Sharon's recent weight loss and Rusty didn't think she needed to lose that weight, but with the new changes she made in her eating habits, it was quite expected. He has noticed that in the recent weeks, Sharon stopped consuming meat and fish completely and when he asked her about it, she said that she was trying to become a vegetarian. Rusty was not expecting this at all but she assured him that he could still eat whatever he wanted. When he really thought about it, Rusty could tell that vegetarianism was not the only reason Sharon has lost weight. He had a strong suspicion that the real reason for her weight loss was the dreamy moods that started frequenting her when she was at home; some days she was so deep in blissful thoughts that she simply forgot to eat. As soon as Rusty realized this was becoming a regular occurrence, he started reminding her to eat and even started cooking some meat-free food for her.

But even though he was getting to know a new Sharon that must have been hidden behind many walls for a few decades, he was not afraid of these changes. He knew exactly what, or more accurately who brought them on: Andy.

Andy has become a constant in their lives, although as far as Rusty could tell, his mother and the lieutenant were still not officially dating. Nevertheless, the signs of the slowly shifting relationship were visible, not only in the changes Sharon made to herself and her lifestyle, but also in the deep crimson shade that spread across her face whenever she heard Andy's name and the way her lips curved in a wide smile whenever he called or texted her.

After considering all these signs, all the little behaviors and quirks she never dared to show him before, Rusty reached one clear conclusion: Sharon was happily oblivious to the fact that she has fallen head over heels with Andy.

Rusty enjoyed watching how her emerging relationship with Andy brought to light so many new and exciting sides of Sharon. He hoped that one day she and Andy would stop dancing around their feelings for each other, but for the time being he was perfectly content with watching the rosebud that was his mother burgeoning through the cracks in the walls she built around herself for so many years. Soon, he knew, she'll be ready to complete the process and allow herself to blossom freely and without restraints.

As he heard the bathroom door opening and Sharon's singing "Spring Affair" loudly and animatedly as she walked down the hall on her way to the bedroom, he closed his eyes and prayed that Sharon's own spring affair was coming soon. And better sooner than later, because he really couldn't handle these silly songs anymore.

THE END

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**A/N****: **As always, I'd love to know what you thought about this story, so feel free to leave a review or send me PM.


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